The Visual Within Me

This week in class we started reading the graphic novel "Maus". This novel really gave me a different viewpoint on the idea of meaning. In my lifetime, I was not a big fan of books and only tended to read them when required. This book, though, has opened up a new realm of the creativity inside of me. I had never seen a book so intriguing with pictures like a super hero comic but with an actual and meaningful story behind it. The little details all around the pages could make me flip through this book for hours and not get bored. It gave me an idea not only associated with books, but everyday life in general. It shows that everything that you despise will have some sort of attractiveness that will pull you in and change the way you think. For example, when I first started playing basketball, I hated it. I was too short and everybody around me was better than I was. I used this as motivation to practice and practice and soon nobody could compete with me. I turned from hating basketball to loving it just because I found something that could change my viewpoint. The same thing happened to me with books this week, where this type of genre made me change my opinion. Just reading Maus, some of the lines contained so much imagery that I felt like I was reading a normal book, but there were pictures which gave me a better understanding. For example, the line that said "It was terrible cold that Autumn. All over Europe it was so freezing that birds fell from the trees" (Spiegelman 53) which showed me the reference they made visually in the picture and not just in words. I think this idea of the graphic novel is a great way for all ages to view interesting pictures while reading meaningful stories instead of one or the other.

The Thoughts Within Me

Every now and then, I decide to try to look into another person’s perspective and go through the motions of life. Unfortunately, I cannot imagine being another person but myself. I would have different physical features and also a different thought process in the mind. This idea relates to everybody. Surely enough, everybody has tried to step into someone else's shoes, whether it’s their friends or a celebrity. After a while of doing this, you would definitely not want to stay in their shoes because you love yourself more than anybody else on the globe. This is why you are definitely paying no attention to strangers or the little details that they portray during the short interval of time you stand in their presence. The thoughts of your own life are swirling around you like a tornado which blocks the visibility of others. But what would happen if you reverse this viewpoint? Why don't you think about the own tornado that these strangers are in and what thoughts are flying by their head? This would open up a whole new perspective of thoughts that you never had. To figure out what thoughts they have, take a look at their physical appearance or their facial expressions. Are they happy, sad, angry or stressed? With these emotions, you could create a paradox where you are inside another person feeding through the actions that are played out. To get the best effect, do this when you yourself are going through a troubled time. Forgetting about all the stress will impact you in a positive way no matter what. When stepping into another person’s body who is happy, you will be able to feed off this happiness for your own life. At the same time, stepping through a distressed person will reveal the gratitude and blessings you have been showered with in your own life because your situation is not as terrible. In the speech "This is Water", David Foster Wallace states that " ...the world will not discourage you from operating on your default settings..." This shows that the universe will not focus on your stubbornness, but your ability to conquer your weaknesses and try to improve them as you progress through the inevitable path of life.

The Patriotism Within Me

After reading Sarah Vowell's Partly Cloudy Patriot, I could not help but explore a recollection of my past. Throughout my life, I thought of traveling around the world. I would explore the breath-taking scenic views to the everyday life in villages and cities. This was my envision of a perfect life before I was ten. The moment that changed this vision, ironically, was when I was traveling. During the sizzling summer of 2012, I was heading to New York City for the 4th of July weekend. This was the first vacation where I would actually be able to take in the sights and sounds of a city that was not my home. For the first few days, I was terrified. I had never seen so many dirty alleys, obnoxious people, and crowded streets. I did not want to leave the hotel at all, especially during the night. Two days later, it was the 4th of July and probably the most spectacular showcase of lights would be taking place just a few blocks from me. I knew I couldn't miss the opportunity, so me and my family headed down there and got a good spot before the other tourists and natives rushed in to occupy the space. Making observations as we waited, I noticed the Hudson River was murky with trash floating on the edges. After about forty-five minutes, the show began. The glimmering lights filled the pitch-black sky to such an extent that we could call it day time. The ships were creating thunderous sounds as they let their goods sparkle above the New York City skyline. That moment, gazing at shining lights with the Star-Spangled Banner playing in the background, was where I questioned my perfect life. Why would I travel across the world looking at all the scenic views while I would ignore all the natural beauty that lies in our country. This country has every landscape that there is: Deserts, Forests, Beaches, Mountains. I couldn't pass up the magnificence of this nation. I realized that I was ignorant to the patriotism within me. As I looked around at the hundreds of thousands of people standing near me, they showed me the true meaning of patriotism. It is standing by one another with unity to explore the greatness that lies around us and how we can build on it. As I left the show with an army of people surrounding me, I didn't think of them as strangers, but friends. With all of us helping each other and learning the true meaning of patriotism, we can not only change our own community, but the nation as a whole. In Partly Cloudy Patriot, Sarah Vowell said, "...seeing them was heartening because they indicated that we're all in this sorrow together" This idea brings attention to the fact that no country can function without its people working together and spreading awareness to the problems that overshadow the good.
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The Wall Within Me

The Wall Within Me
One of my first visualization of the nation’s hardships was on my 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. Before my trip, I had no expectation on what I was going to see. I just wanted to have a good time. The first stop we got off at was the Lincoln Memorial. I stared in fascination as our most popular President looked into everybody's soul as they entered the massive marble columns. Our time was up and I thought we were going to head back to the bus, but our tour guide was walking in the opposite direction towards the Washington Monument. I was confused at first, wondering why we had to walk all the way there when we could have just gone on the bus. We trekked through the snow which drowned us in a fluffy white powder creating no visibility. We suddenly stopped and I saw our tour guide staring at a bunch of snow, looking on with pride. I, confused once again, went to take a closer look when I banged my head on something hard. Dazed, I took a step back to see an overwhelming black wall in my path. I saw the label and it said Vietnam War Memorial. I stood there for a few minutes, drowning out all the complaints or screams of my peers wanting to leave due to the heavy snow. Dragging my hand along the wall, I see names zooming by. I felt like I was at a moment of fullness. The pit I was in felt like I was being swallowed and pushed into wall. I glanced back but I couldn't see my friends through the swirling snow. The wind started to blow and I started being forced against the wall. I was struggling to get free pulling myself with all my might. My head going to explode with the amount of fear, tension and exuberant energy I felt. All of a sudden, the snow stops, the wind slows down and the air gets clear. Everybody came into view, taking pictures of the Washington Monument or themselves. I couldn't explain what I felt in the pit of the Vietnam War Memorial that day. I felt as if I was drawn into the wall and I would never come out. "While the dead body occupies a grave to which the living may attend, the missing body is marked by unoccupied space through which the living may stroll" (Booth 3). When I read this quote in class this week, it all made sense. When I was at that monument two years ago, the dead and the missing, being lonely, were trying to draw me in while I was struggling to retain my life. War always will make you a different person when you come out and there will always be a point of loneliness in your soul as the memories fade.